Students depict famous Missourians
By JESSICA ALLEN Staff writer
Half of the famous explorer duo of Lewis and Clark was present at the living museum. Malakai Maize portrayed William Clark, who helped lead the Corps of Discovery along the Missouri River from St. Charles, Missouri, to its headwaters in Montana and then on to the Pacific Coast. After the expedition, he served as governor of Missouri Territory for seven years.
The fourth grade students in Megan Frueh’s class at Nodaway-Holt Elementary School presented a “living museum” of famous Missourians in Maitland Thursday afternoon.
The assignment, which they began working on mid-March, was an opportunity for students to learn about state history as well as how to conduct a research project.
“We learn how to find sources and determine whether a source is reliable or unreliable,” Frueh said.
The famous Missourians represented by the costumed class included writers such as poet Langston Hughes and novelist Samuel Clemens, who wrote under the pen name Mark Twain, as well as explorers and scientists such as Daniel Boone, George Washington Carver, and William Clark of the Lewis and Clark duo.
Several famous women were also represented, including singer and writer Margaret Truman, daughter of former President Harry Truman, and Margaret Tobin Brown, a philanthropist and social activist who survived the sinking of the Titanic.
“We pick famous Missourians, not infamous Missourians, so I had to kind of explain the difference to them,” Frueh said.
“You won’t see Jesse James in the classroom today,” she joked.
Students gathered biographical information on their subjects via the Internet and books before writing a five-paragraph paper and preparing a PowerPoint presentation.
“The PowerPoint presentations really bring out their personality and creativity,” Frueh said.
Each student also created an artistic portrait of their famous Missourian and prepared a script composed of interesting facts to memorize and recite for guests during the living museum.
By JESSICA ALLEN Staff writer
Nodaway-Holt fourth grader Clayton Davis portrays entrepreneur J.C. Penney during the class’s living museum of famous Missourians Thursday afternoon. Penney was born into a poor family near Hamilton, Missouri, in 1875 and went on to found the J.C. Penney Company, which now has more than 1,000 stores nationwide.
By JESSICA ALLEN Staff writer
Daniel Boone, portrayed by Ryan Allen, explains to a young visitor why he is considered a famous Missourian. Boone was born in Pennsylvania, but after fighting in the French and Indian War and exploring frontier land in Kentucky, he settled his family in eastern Missouri. Shortly after his death in 1820, the Missouri Legislature named Boone County in his honor.
By JESSICA ALLEN Staff writer
Natasha Abrams towered over her audience with her portrayal of Ella Ewing, a woman from LaGrange, Missouri, who grew to stand 8 feet, 4 inches tall by age 22. The “Missouri Giantess” joined the Barnum & Bailey Circus on a nationwide tour in 1897 and died of tuberculosis in 1913.
